Railroad-tie.



G. W. HICKS.

RAILROAD 11E.- I'XFLHATION FILED FEB. 28. 19H.

Patented 1590.25, 1917.

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NVENTOR ATTORNEY UMTED vsrarns Parnu rrv onniion.

' GUY`W.Y.;EICKS, OF FALLS CREEK, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-TIE.

To all lwhom t may concern.

Be it known that I, GUY W. HICKS, a citizen of the United States, residingv at Falls Creek, in the county of Jefferson and State of Pennsylvania,v have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad-ties, and has for its object to provide cross Yties for railway tracks having strengthY and durability and adapted to yieldably support the rails, take up and dissipate all shocks and jars incident to the movement of trains over the tracks, to permit free expansion and contraction of the rails, and prevent them from spreading or careening, and to maintain alinem'ent andk gageof Vtrack un.- der all conditions.

vWith the above as the principal objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,'pointed out inthe appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, fin which*V Figure 1 is a Side elevation of a railroadtie constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, Y

Fig. 3 is a view of one end of the crosstie, A Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through one end of the cross tie taken on the line 4-1 of Fig. 3, and f l Y Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of certain details of the invention.

In the drawings, 10 indicates the body of the tie having the usual proportions as to length, width, and height, and made preferably of concrete cement by casting the same in a mold in the usual manner. At the center of the tie is a depression 11 that extends to or nearly to the bottom of the tie and entirely across the same, the Sides of the depression inelining upwardly and outwardly toward the ends as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The tie is strengthened and braced by a metal plate 12, preferably formed of steel that extends from end to end of the tie following the upper surface thereof and the sides and bottom of the depression 11. The plate 12 is about half the Width of the tie and is seated in a groove in the center thereof, the top of the tie and the upper surface of the plate being in the same hori- Specication of Letters Patent. Patetd Dec, 25., 1917, Application med February 2s, 1917. serial No; 151,523.

zontal plane. For the purposeiof holding the plate 12 to the body ofthe tie, staples or yokes 13 extend across the plate and into the body of thetie through the top thereof l and are rigidlyy held in place by the concrete; VSimilar staples 14 pass into the concrete overthe plate 12 within the ydepression 11. These staples oryokes are preferably made of metal square in cross section with their ends'twisted as at 15 to insure their retention in theconcrete vand to prevent them from being pulled out. Therail's 16 which cross the tie rest upon the top thereof and upon the upper surfacefof the .plate 12heing secured to said plate by outside clamps 17 and` inside clamps 18 that overlap the base flanges of therailsandV are secured by boltsy 19 to thefplatef12, said boltsvpassing through the plates tothe underV side thereof, the headsof the boltprojecting into openings 20 in ther cross ties. The openings 2O in the ends of thevcross-tie extend inwardly from the ends of the tie-a short distance beyond the inner bolts 19 and are of suchheight and width as to. readily permit the entrance of suitable toolsffor holding the headsof bolts 19while the lnuts thereon are tightened. Preferably the bottom and sides of'each opening20 havey a slight inward taper topermit the core, yby means of which they'are vformedto be .withdrawn after 'the 'tie has 'been cast'and hardl ened.

'To keep the clampsl' and 18 from shifting or slipping away froml the rails 1G, their ends which rest upon the plate 12 are seated within pockets 21 on the upper surface of the plate formed by a shallow upstanding flange 22 surrounding the ends and two sides of each clamp, said flanges being integral with or secured to the top of the plate 12.

Extending across the top of the depression 11 in the tie 10 and riveted to the plate 12 at each edge of said depression is a resilient brace plate 23, preferably transversely corrugated as shown to increase its resiliency, but of such size and thickness as to securely connect the two ends of the tie across the top of the depression and hold said ends rigidly together under all the usual conditions that are met with, but which will yield when the tie is subjected to unusual conditions of pressure or strain.

In use, the ties are placed as usual upon the ground and the space Vbetween theeJ ties and also the depression 11 in each tie filled With ballast in the usual manner. The rails are secured to the ties by plaxzing them .across the same between the pockets 21 and then bolting the clamps 17 and 18 over the bottom ianges of the rail to the metal plate i2 on the top .of the tie, the openings -20 in the ends of the rails enabling the .trank layers to insert a tool for holdlng the bolts immovable While tightening the nuts thereon.

vA tie of this character is strong and being non-porous will resist Water andinay be used lfor an indenite'length of time; the rails are Secured thereto to prevent spreading or overturninU but will permit the molecular -action of expansion and contraction, due to changes in temperature. 'By means of the depression 11 in the center of the tie in connection with the ,resilient brace 23 a slight yielding will .be permitted under unusual conditions between the Yrails ofthe track.

rWhat I claim is:

l. A railroad-tie comprising a body portion of cement vconcrete having a central de pression extending across the "body, a Vmetal strengthening plate extending from end to end ofthe tie and folloivingthe contour .of sa'id depression, clamping means for securing rails'to said plate, and yokes or ,staples crossing said late and seated yin the 'body of the tiefer ho,l ding ,the pla-te .in place.

2. A vrailroad-tie comprisinga'jbody portion of cement concrete'having av depression "in its 'center and extending across said body, a metal plate seated "in 'the top of the ,tie body and extending from end to end thereof, said plate following the 'contour of said depression, clamping means for securing the track rails to the metal plate, 'yokes or staples extendinoacross the plate and sea-ted in the ibody of the ,tie for holding the plate Copies of this patent may be in place, and a resilient plate connected at its ends to the first-named plate and extending across the depression in the tie.

3. A railroad-tiev comprising a body made of cement concrete and having a V-shaped depression at the center thereof and extending across said body, an opening extending into the tie from each end, ametal plate seated in the top of .said tie in the plane of said top surface and extending from end to end of the tie, said vplate following the rcontour of the V-shaped depression, vyokes extending across said plate and having their ends seated in the body o f the tie for holding said plate in place, clamps lsecuring the track rails upon the top ofthe tie, fastening bolts extending through said clamps and the plate into the openings formed in the ends of the tie, and a resilient plate spanning the depression in the body of the tie and riveted at its ends tothe first named plate.

4. A railroad tie comprising a body of cement concrete having a central 4VV-'shaped depression extending across the same and an opening extending into the body of the tie at each end thereof, a metal plate extending from end to end of the tie in the longitudinal `center thereof and following the contour of the V-shaped depression7 the top of the plate and the top of the body being in the same plane, clamping means for the track rails bolted on said plate and extend- 'ing therethrough into `the openings in the end of Vthe tie, and a spring plate extending across the top of the depression and riveted at its ends to the irst-mentioned plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of vtwo Witnesses.

, GUY W. HICKS.

Witnesses: J. llVI. PIPER, J. F.SQHNELL.

obtained for five cents each, by addressing lthe Commissioner of Taten.

washington, n. c. 

